The restaurants below serve Swordfish and/or Game fish on their menus...not good at all..I know I wont be dining at any of these!..I sent email to them to guage what their attitudes are and/or to for education purposes!...

There are operators out there who are catching almost 100% 'By-catch' and it will continue until the fishery expires or the Govt stops issuing Tuna permits willy nilly and controls the illegal targeting of Broadbill. They are getting around $ 6-00/kilo. Not bad if you can take a ton or more in a night.

We should maybe start up a national register by forum users of gear that we find set to capture broadbill and start to publically identify the boats that are targeting them as well as the end users of the product.

You can add the Seamart bistro downtown to the list of sword fish sellers, the sad thing here is that if the restaurants don't buy it in NZ then it gets sold to Asian country's.

15 years ago we used to fish the Poor knights rise and get at least one broady per night, last time we went we couldn't drift for fear of becoming wrapped up in the criss cross of long lines set over it, you can bet there won't be many long lines there for very long because there will be bugger all left to catch soon.

...I am collecting a "database" of end users found in NZ and will intiate a campaign just as soon as I have the hard facts!...I will need help, so if you feel passionate enough then by all means register your interest either via email or post on this thread!!

I realise that this idea may be a small step, but maybe just maybe we can start a domino effect and at least educate some of the ignorant!!...

AC....what was your biggest swordie from the Knights Rise?? any problems with biteys?...who did you fish with then?...Going?...bet you have got some amazing photos from the '"good" old days!!

A better way to make a point , is to simply make a booking for 20 people at one of these restaurants.

Actually turn up sit at the table get your menus and then walk out , let them know why you are leaving, make sure everyone else in the restaurant knows as well and then go to restaurant across the road that doesn't serve Game Fish.

...I never knew you were such a devious sort of a chartacter, Rob?..fantastic idea!!..as they say a picture paints 1000 words..an enmass walkout would be priceless and I am sure the word would spread...perhaps a carefully timed "press conference" in conjunction??

Just going back to reply to your message re the Poor Knight rise, It was mostly John back then, he had Kitty Vane before Delray, we didn't have problems with Mako's as such, not like Matt describes on Primetime whereas they are almost evolving to chase the noise of the boat for an easy feed, however on some nights they were prominent hitting the baits, his son Rodney had a tail nipped from a big broady back then but that was the exception rather than the rule, my personal best was only 83kg, I had one go straight down and rip off 900meters of line vertically, I couldn't slow it down, in fact when I put pressure on I swear it went faster, I tried the blue marlin trick of slackening off all together and burned my thumb on the spool to stop the over-run, eventually on the last three turns on the spool and hanging on to the back of the seat for grim death the line finally popped at the double. I used to live for weekend trips out there, we would often go through a patch of Stripies on the way out, tag one and have a few more shots shots but carry on to the rise !! dedicated is what you need to be, when its cold and raining in the middle of the night in a meter or more of slop in the middle of nowhere looking at the end of the rod for the slightest nod still with a smile on the dial............your a Broady angler, and it doesn't matter what you ever do, that will never change !!!!

Yes not a bad idea. However I suggest a check with someone of the legal persuasion. Most upmarket restaurants take a Name & phone no when the booking is made. There may be a bit of subsequent difficulty if a big party was to make an obviously "orchestrated" walkout.

Any Legal type out there wish to comment - should be - a lot of lawyers are called "sharks" lol.

I prefer Parkinson to Alzheimer - I'd rather spill my beer than forget to drink it!

You may find you have to place a deposit, which you will have to be prepared to forfeit if you do a mass walk out .

Many of these restaurants are just small to medium sized buisinesses, like charter operators. I think that educating, lobbying and publicity campaigns are going to be the most effective in the long run. I have a few friends that think that fishing is cruel, how would we feel if the anti fishing and hunting people started targeting our buisinesses?

I find this one a difficult one. I sort of feel that it is best not to waiste by catch and that eating it is the best thing to do with it, the best way of honoring the beast that was. I know what you mean by "creating a demand" though.

I think the idea is along the right lines, I've always been an advocate of voting with your feet. But I reckon that letting the restauranteurs know about the fishing situation is necessary. So like Kerren suggested you have to let them know that what they are buying is destroying a valuable resource and give them the chance to do something about it. Like I said though I'm new to all this and there is obviously the chance that they know exactly what they are doing and dont give a hoot! This kind of chat is very useful though as I was pretty unaware of the situation and as I routinely bore the hell out of anyone who'll hang around long enough to hear about some more fishing, rest assured I'm delivering the message in my neck of the woods.

welcome to these boards, Gordon!!...input and feedback are very important to the continuing success of these forums..thankyou!......I have put the wheels into motion re: restaurants, so will keep you in the loop with developments and how you can get involved!

make sure you direct anyone with an interest in fishing to these forums...more the merrier!!

C'mon you blokes have a go ! If you can't get a group together do it solo or in pairs , just rock up to restaurant no booking sit down and once up get the menu's ask for the manager...when then manager turns up.....ask why he hasn't got WHALE on the menu ....wait for his reply ...... and then ask why he has got Broadbill on it ....You need to raise awareness ....still walk out .... Because the best lessons people learn in life are the expensive ones.

um yeah, there isnt any such thing as by catch broadbill, i recently went out on a comercial surface longliner, and things arent looking good for the broadies, marlin ,tuna, or anthing out in the deep, blue.

When u think about how much ocean is around new zealand you would think theres lots of room for setting longlines, Ill tell u what space is at a premium out there, i watched the skipper plotting other boats shots on the plotter, and after seeing how many longlines are in the water out there , id say the broadbill dont have a chance, There isnt any such thing as a bycatch any thing that moves and is worth a buck is a target species, 40 $ kilo for shark fins , basically they take all they can get.

And with the adittion of the two new huge fishing boats, with super fast sinking nets id say bye bye yellow fin tuna, as if they aint in enough trouble.

The only way to change the quota system is to convince the the people running the fisheries or the government , that theyll have more money coming into the country via recreational fishing through charters etc, than commercial.

They can take all the money there giving to the maoris, and pay out the comercial guys. i say burn the treaty!!!!!

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